


Regeneration

by DaisyChainz



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Canon Compliant, Developing Relationship, Hair Washing, Humor, Hux vs the Anthropological Research Team, M/M, Mutual Masturbation, Not Suitable/Safe For Work, Pre-Slash, Pre-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Soft Kylux
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:41:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22871905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaisyChainz/pseuds/DaisyChainz
Summary: Hux discovers Kylo Ren out in the woods practicing a local ritual to welcome their current planet's Vernal Equinox. Somehow he gets drawn into the rites and finds that, while he objects to the mess, there might be something to the idea of 'renewal'.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Comments: 8
Kudos: 74





	Regeneration

**Author's Note:**

> Happy First Day of Spring!!🌼🌼🌼

Hux woke and readied for his day. Even though it was a quiet one with no meetings until evening, he fixed his hair and uniform as always. He went out to the common area of the ship and found the two trooper guards, but no Kylo Ren. 

"Where is Commander Ren?"

One of the guards was off duty, but he stood at attention while Hux was there. The armored trooper answered. "He was already gone by the time I got up. FN1356 says he left the ship hours ago."

Hux looked thoughtfully at them for a moment. Finally he turned to the FN. "Did you see which way he went, trooper?"

The trooper straightened even more, "Yes sir. He went North, into the forest."

Frowning, Hux took a step closer. "Away from the settlement?"

"Yes sir!"

Hux sighed. "Very well. I am leaving as well. For now the two of you will remain here. Guard the ship, if any messengers come comm me."

"Yes sir, General!"

Hux walked down the gangway, pausing at the bottom. He didn't go planetside often, and even less frequently out of a city. The sounds of the forest surrounded him, alien and chaotic and busy. He could hear insects and birds, there was a fluttering of wings in the trees off to his left. Branches swayed but there was no sight of what was moving. Hux wrinkled his nose. Was that smoke? He stepped onto soft ground and started towards the smell. It was still dark, but with the promise of morning. There was enough light to make his way. 

He hadn't gone far when he could start to see the light from the fire, could hear the sound of movement. He paused just outside of the clearing, taking in the sight before announcing himself. 

He assumed Ren already knew he was there anyway. He was crouched over a small fire, shirtless, feeding sticks into it and watching the flames lick over them.

"What's all this about?" Hux raised an eyebrow as he approached Kylo. 

"It's this planet's Vernal Equinox."

"We already knew that; it's what delayed the meetings. I was referring to you." Hux eyed his bare chest and the blue paint splashed across it and his face. He couldn't help but admire the expanse of naked flesh. He hoped Ren didn't notice, but when he flexed he knew he had. Hux looked away. 

"This is part of the traditional welcoming of the new season."

There was a long pause. "How in the hells would you know that?"

"I had the Anthropological Research Department look into it for me."

Hux snorted. He and Ren had a rather checkered history with that department. "I'm sure they have better things, and more relevant ways to spend their time."

"Rituals are important, Hux."

"Perhaps, some rituals. But I hardly see how this effects our current goals."

Kylo sighed and stood, Hux could see that he had also made himself a belt of green twigs and leaves. He was barefoot. Hux forced his eyes up again. Kylo was smirking. "Come join me."

"What? Don't be ridiculous. I have more important things to do than--than frolic in the woods with you."

Ren actually laughed out loud at that. Hux had heard many of Ren's laughs. Mocking, harsh, condescending, bitter, mostly through the staticy vocoder of his mask. He had never before heard a genuine laugh from Ren. Hux was taken off guard. "What is funny about that?" He asked defensively. 

"Frolic? Really, Hux? What exactly do you think these rituals entail?"

Hux crossed his arms over his chest, wondering why he was wasting time arguing in the forest with Kylo Ren. "I'm not unfamiliar with the idea of the Vernal Equinox, Ren. Most cultures share some form of traditions to welcome the new growing season. And most of those revolve around," he paused, realizing what his next word would be. Judging by the delighted look on Ren's face, he knew too. "Fertility."

Ren didn't laugh, but he seemed very entertained. "Did you think my plan was to lure you out here for fertility rites?" He did snort then. 

Hackles up, Hux raised his chin and spoke haughtily, "fertility is hardly something we would need to be concerned with," he motioned between them with a gloved hand, "even if we were . . . " he refused to finish that sentence. He turned his head away again, feeling his cheeks heating.

Instead of the expected obnoxious response, Ren folded his arms and looked at Hux appraisingly. "There's more to the celebration than fertility rituals. It's all about new beginnings. Renewing yourself."

Without thinking Hux turned to Ren and said "you would know all about that, wouldn't you?" He froze, not having meant to say anything so personal, and with such a bitter tone. 

Instead of the expected explosion, Ren unfolded his arms slowly and regarded Hux for a moment. His expression was a cross of thoughtful and perhaps understanding. The paint from his chest had smeared over his arms, but he didn't seem to notice. "Yes." He finally conceded. "I do. And I think you do as well."

Curiosity almost overran animosity. Hux glared at Ren from the corner of his eye. 

Ignoring the look, Ren continued. "I can't imagine you're exactly the same person you were fifteen, twenty years ago, either." He grinned again. "While I'm certain you were top of your class, that boy had a lot of changes to make to become the man, the General, standing before me."

Hux couldn't help staring at Ren, wondering if he could trust his own ears. While it wasn't exactly a compliment, had Ren just not insulted him? And he hadn't even gotten angry about his allusion to Ren's own past. Hux decided humoring him for a few minutes might be beneficial. 

"Fine, how exactly does one go about 'renewing' themselves in your ritual?"

Ren eyed his uniform as he lifted a pot from beside the fire. "First, you're going to have to get undressed."

*** **

They compromised with Hux removing his great coat, tunic and undershirt. His ident tags lay over his bare chest as Ren painted symbols across him with the blue paint. The paint was cool in the chilly morning air, but Ren's fingers were warm as he smeared it across Hux's skin. He left his boots on. 

Then Ren set the pot down, smearing his dirty hand across his flank. He looked around again. "There is supposed to be a Bonfire, but we should be fine just building this up a little more." So they took to the forest for dry, downed branches to feed their little camp fire. 

Hux dropped his branches in the clearing, trying to pick the bark particles out of the wet paint in his skin. "Are you certain about all this, Ren?"

Ren looked up, puzzled, from where he was building up the fire. The flames lit one side of his face in warmth. "Certain about what?"

"These rituals. Are you certain they are correct?"

He shrugged. "They seem authentic enough."

Hux picked at more bark stuck to his skin. "How would you know? What is authentic about this paint?" He sighed audibly. 

Without looking back up, Ren answered "it's not paint, it's sap from the gokico tree. When you break the branches from year's past it flows out. Covering the body with it is a symbol of age and wisdom."

"What does that have to do with renewal and rebirth?"

"What came before is the base upon which the new can be built. It's like honoring ancestors by naming a youngling after them. They may be the old, but they are still respected. That's why it's the first step of the ritual." He broke out into a wide grin. "You're lucky we aren't following the ritual literally. You're supposed to be completely naked and be wearing only the paint. Everywhere."

Hux sighed again. "Fine. What is the next step."

Ren produced a pale flower from the pile of sticks and bark he had brought back. "Next we burn the ochiotip flower."

"The what? Honestly Ren, I wouldn't take everything the Anthropological team says as the absolute truth. Sometimes I think they extrapolate if they can't get all the information from the source."

"It's fine." Ren said as he threw the flower onto the fire. 

It sat quietly for a moment, smoldering gently in a dark silhouette against the flames. A fragrant aroma met Hux's nose. He decided it wasn't completely unpleasant. 

Then the flower burst into bright orange flames and the campsite was engulfed in a thick, oily smoke. 

Coughing deeply the two men retreated to the edge of the clearing. Hux's eyes were watering and his throat stung. "Was that supposed to happen?"

Ren coughed and cleared his throat, then began waving his hands to coax the smoke over himself. 

"What are you doing now? This is . . . Ugh." Hux wiped a hand down his arm and left a grimy trail. The smoke clung to his skin leaving it tacky and reeking. 

Ren continued engulfing himself in the black smoke, his natural coloring and dotted moles replaced by the smoke residue and other bits and pieces he had picked up in the forest. "It's part of the ritual Hux. Surrounding yourself with the flower, which is both the product and the producer of the seed." As the smoke began clearing he approached the fire again. 

The sun was almost over the horizon. 

Ren looked in the direction of the oncoming sunrise, then returned to his pile of sticks. Hux watched his huge hands picking delicately through the pile, gently lifting tiny balls, seeds he assumed, between his thumb and forefinger and placing them in his open palm. Hux couldn't help but marvel at his large muscular frame, doing something so uncharacteristically delicate. Ren turned his head to look at him intently, but he didn't smirk like he had before. Instead he rose and carried the seeds over to Hux, never taking his eyes from his. 

Holding his open hand out he said "you take four and I'll take four."

Even as he questioned it, Hux was carefully taking four of the tiny seeds and laying them in his own palm. "What is this for now?"

Ren motioned around the campfire. "We're to plant these evenly in a circle around the fire, the symbol of the sun, as the actual sun rises on the day of the Equinox."

"Sounds like a fertility rite to me." Grumbled Hux, even as he walked around the fire to mark out where the seeds needed to go to be spaced evenly. 

Ren smiled as he watched. "It's just about renewal, Hux."

Hux glared at him over his shoulder, catching Ren's eyes moving upward from his backside. He straightened self-consciously and turned the other way. Finally he rose and looked around. "What are we to dig the holes with?"

Ren wiggled his fingers. "Using your hands gets you closer to the soul of the soil." He smiled at Hux's eye roll. "Besides, they don't need to go very deeply. Just make a little hole and drop it in."

The sun rose over them as they worked, warming their bare skin. Hux patted the ground where his last seed lay. "Now what?" He asked, half impatient to be done and half worrying the ritual would be over. He had to admit, working the soil and the tiny seeds was wonderfully soothing. 

He glared as Ren looked over smugly at him, immediately regretting his last thoughts. Instead of commenting Ren stood, brushing off his pants and clapping the loose soil from his hands. "Now we reveal our renewed selves."

Hux stood too, looking down at himself. He was a disaster. Blue paint, speckled with dirt and forest detritus covered his skin. His black jodhpurs were dusty, as were his boots. The paint had rubbed off on his clothes. He sighed and looked to Ren. He stared back with a look Hux could hardly fathom, but it made his gut tighten. "How exactly do we do that?"

Ren reached for his own belt. "Get undressed."

*** **

The nearby river ran deep, but not terribly fast. Now completely naked, a fact Hux was having great difficulty ignoring, Ren waded out, then dove under the water. He emerged in the middle of the river, a little downstream from where he had gone in. He scrubbed his hair and wiped down his arms with some success. Even in the water he still had oily, dirty marks. 

Hux stood at the edge, just outside where the soil turned muddy. The dirt felt alien under his feet, and his tender soles had found every sharp object on the forest floor between the campfire and the riverbank. He felt terribly exposed, mostly as he stood naked while Ren was covered by the water. But he was also hesitant to get in. 

Ren swam back over, standing waist deep in the river. "Are you getting in? I know you couldn't wait to wash all that off."

"Oh, you mean reveal my renewal? I feel quite revealed at the moment." He muttered the last but Ren smiled. Finally Hux gave a long sigh. His eyes traced the tree tops on the opposite bank as he admitted, "I can't swim."

Ren's face was blank. "What? But you grew up on . . ."

"Yes, a rainy oceanside planet. But the water was too treacherous to swim in. Undertows and large meat-eating animals waited for you to set foot in the water. Even the lakes and ponds were dangerous."

Understanding washed over Ren's face. "Ah. That makes sense." He moved to where the water was just over his knees. "Just come out here then. You can sit and still wash off."

At that moment Hux realized he could have just gone back to the shuttle and taken an actual sonic. But the thought of getting everything on him on his clothes in order to do it sounded unappealing. Best to at least rinse off first. Yes. 

As he joined Ren in the cool water they both sat, the current flowing up over their chests. 

"Here." Ren cupped the water in his hands and let it run over Hux's shoulder. He looked at Ren for a moment, then rubbed at the re-wetted paint and dirt. He repeated on the other shoulder, scrubbing down his arm. 

Ren finished scrubbing his own skin, then turned back to Hux's shoulder. His fingers rubbed firmly, moving over the shoulder and across Hux's collar bone. Hux couldn't quite stop the air leaving his lungs suddenly. He glanced at Ren's face. He looked vaguely amused, but mostly intent in what he was doing. The intensity of his expression made Hux's heart speed up.

Ren pressed his hand against Hux's chest, "lean back and I'll rinse your hair."

Hux obliged, leaning back on his hands and tilting his head back until it was partly submerged. Ren got up on his knees and ran his fingers through his hair, sloshing the water up until it splashed over Hux's forehead. He sat quietly through Ren's ministrations, his finger tips digging into his scalp and loosening the flower oils from the strands. 

Hux hadn't realized his eyes had drifted closed. He lifted his head and watched Ren reach to take his shoulders under his hands. "Are you certain this is part of the ritual?"

"Absolutely." Murmured Ren, as he shuffled them both around so they were facing each other, limbs tangled as he scooted closer. In the process Ren's nose grazed the skin under Hux's jaw. 

"I thought you said this wasn't a fertility rite?" His voice came out breathier and less steady than he had hoped. 

Ren shrugged and ran his hands over Hux's arms again, but now his voice was directly in Hux's ear. "Well, maybe just this part."

"Are you going to be such a revelation I'm to be reborn?" He was trying for a teasing or sarcastic tone but it was very difficult with Kylo Ren wrapping himself around him, hands sliding over his skin, looking at him now. Like he was seeing Hux. A man, not a General. 

The water was chilly and wherever their skin touched was warm. With a little shiver Hux couldn't help press against him, searching for more warmth to cover him. 

Ren smiled but it was gentle, once again completely transforming his face. "Maybe." Then he leaned in and kissed Hux. It wasn't demanding, it simply . . . Was. 

There was no hiding that Hux was hard, and that he was very aware Ren was as well. So instead of pulling away Hux pressed in closer. Ren slipped his tongue across Hux's mouth, inside. His hands gripped Hux's back more tightly, pulling him flush and rocking his hips upward. 

Hux moaned into his mouth before he could think to stop himself. Ren only seemed encouraged; his tongue raking over Hux's, his hips moving up again. One hand released Hux and reached between them, taking them both into a firm grip. 

It had been such a long time since Hux had been touched by someone else. A long time since he could not anticipate the next stroke, did not know what was going to happen next because it wasn't his own hand in charge. He broke the kiss and threw his head back with a cry, bucking up into Ren's hand. Ren took advantage and licked up his exposed throat, his hand gripping them both more tightly, speeding just a little. 

The water flowed around them as Hux clung to Ren, arms wrapped tightly over his shoulders. He dug his heels into the silt, using his thighs to rock himself against Ren. He could already feel a tingling across his pelvis, wrapping around and up his spine. Ren's free hand dragged up his back, the cool water rushing in to replaced the warmth, his hand settling at the base of Hux's skull. His lips moved up his jaw to just below his ear, licking and sucking as he went. 

"Hux." He moaned softly. Hux could feel how hard he was, feel the little pulses Ren's hips were making as he tried not to fuck up into his own hand. They were both panting. Hux pulled back just enough to look at him, his hands coming over his shoulders to take Ren's face between them.

Lips parted, eyes blown, cheeks pink: Ren looked at Hux with open desire. Before Hux could think Ren was closing the gap and they were sharing another breathless kiss. Ren didn't stop again until Hux was gasping and whining, nearly at his peak. Then he pulled away and watched Hux's face as he tried to hold out just a little longer, to prolong the amazing tension traveling through him. Then, Ren watched as he surrendered and his face tensed with the ripples of pleasure wracking his body. 

Hux came to just about the time he felt Ren's body go rigid around him, saw his eyes squeeze shut, mouth drop open, felt him jerking his hips into his orgasm. His hand tightened around them both, rhythm stuttering but not stopping as he worked himself through it. Hux sighed into the overstimulation, feeling the intense pleasure shooting through his cock. It felt good even while it was too much. 

Finally Ren quieted, his hand stopping but he didn't release them yet. He sighed against the skin where Hux's shoulder met his neck. It was sensitive and sent a shudder through Hux.

Gradually, Hux became aware of the river water swirling around them again. The current caressing and cooling their skin until Hux was shivering again. Ren roused enough to gather Hux up, wrapping more of himself around him to try and warm him. 

Even though the sun was finally fully up over the trees, Hux was cold. His skin pimpled and a long hard shiver finally roused Ren. He reluctantly released Hux, gently moving him back so they could both get their feet under themselves to stand. Before he could move Ren was reaching for Hux's hand, tugging him along behind him. "C'mon, the fire should still be warm."

Neither one of them spoke as they redressed in front of the fire, their skin still wet, making their clothing stick as they tried to pull it over. Ren took his sap pot to the river to rinse it, brought back water to douse the flames. They stood and watched the steam before Ren kicked the loose dirt that had recently decorated their skin to smother any lingering embers. 

Everything besides the pot had been collected from the forest so they left them beside the fire pit. 

"So, do you feel renewed?"

Hux paused before he answered. "I don't feel any different, but . . ." He stopped and faced Ren uncertainly. 

"We do." Ren supplied. "We've experienced a new creation of our relationship."

Hux wasn't certain if Ren's face had actually been transformed or if the way he saw it had just changed. Hux lifted a hand, then dropped it. "I had such high hopes when Snoke placed you on my ship." He stopped Ren's interruption, "it was my ship at the time. But I was disappointed."

There was a flash of anger, finally, across Ren's face. But it was laced with a sadness. "You were so condescending, you never gave me a chance."

Hux smiled, a grim tight line. "You were so inexperienced, so young. I had trained for years for my command; and had led for several before you even arrived."

Ren squared off to him. "Yes, but that is not the case now. I've had my own command, I'm a Master. I've proven myself; you know what I'm capable of."

The words were out of Hux's mouth before he even thought them, "you're right." They hung between the men. Ren wisely didn't voice the 'finally', though Hux heard it.

Hux continued as if he hadn't already spoken. "But our circumstances are no different." There were many things to keep them apart. "This," he waved between them again, "could work. But Supreme Leader Snoke would not let it continue like this."

"No." Agreed Ren, but still stepped into his space. "Not all the time. But, there are many planets in many systems. At any given time there could be a Vernal Equinox, somewhere."

Hux couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him. He met Ren's eye, he was smiling at him, a long finger stroking down the outside of his bicep. "That is true. However, from here on out we should perhaps conduct our own research?"

*** **

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